Winter camping accessories

[ddgp]

What are the must have accessories fro your winter in snow camping with your Cali?

Please share links of the products

 

[subthree]

https://www.brewdog.com/uk/

 

[Ch1pbutty]

https://www.brewdog.com/uk/

Old Ale 500ml

Old Ale is a firm favourite during the autumn and winter months. A dark, warming brew. Burnt sugars and roasted malts compliment the premium Maris Otter barley, supplanting the light bitterness of aroma hops.

shop.harveys.org.uk

 

[LCD]

After spending couple of nights in our Ocean in mountains few weeks ago I am definitely ordering pop top screen from rainbowthermalscreens.
I researched a bit which pop top cover to order and came to conclusion that these guys although pricey but are of good quality and more importantly easy to install.
If anyone could recommend an alternative would love to hear from you.

 

[subthree]

Old Ale 500ml

Old Ale is a firm favourite during the autumn and winter months. A dark, warming brew. Burnt sugars and roasted malts compliment the premium Maris Otter barley, supplanting the light bitterness of aroma hops.

shop.harveys.org.uk

This looks dangerous! (Sorry OP for hijacking your thread).

 

[Californication69]

After spending couple of nights in our Ocean in mountains few weeks ago I am definitely ordering pop top screen from rainbowthermalscreens.
I researched a bit which pop top cover to order and came to conclusion that these guys although pricey but are of good quality and more importantly easy to install.
If anyone could recommend an alternative would love to hear from you.

I’ve got the front rainbow thermal screen. Highly recommend

 

[GrumpyGranddad]

Surely a nice Mulled Wine is in order?

 

[California4x4]

What are the must have accessories fro your winter in snow camping with your Cali?

Please share links of the products

Depending on expected temperatures, I would recommend a good water container with a tap. I have found, if I’m living in the van with the heater on permanently or while driving, the water system can be used down to about -6 Celsius. If you’re expecting lower temperatures, or not willing to keep a heater on all the time, you will want to drain the fresh water system and rely on containers of water kept inside the main body of the van.

depending on what you’re doing, a hanging rail and hangars combined with a 12v dehumidifier is useful for drying winter clothing.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B005HHTP3O/?tag=unique09f-21
https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00NP3IUO2/?tag=unique09f-21
https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0153MGQ3E/?tag=unique09f-21
https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B018JO28R6/?tag=unique09f-21

A hot water bottle is handy for warming the bedding in the pop top. https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07NTX3T1Y/?tag=unique09f-21

Winter tyres and snow chains.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B009NPLESK/?tag=unique09f-21

External windscreen cover and an internal or external pop top cover help.

Comfortz VW T5 / T6 & T6.1 Thermal Windscreen Cover

Specifically designed to keep your bus warmer in the winter and cooler in the summer.

vwcaliforniaclub.com

If you’ll be cooking inside more than normal, consider lids or ridgemonkey to reduce cooking splatters and smells.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B06XHHWSMQ/?tag=unique09f-21

A rug for the main living area can make it more pleasant on the feet. Also having outside boots and inside slippers help to keep the outside outside.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07F7TD1XX/?tag=unique09f-21

A folding stool and small door mat is handy for sitting on outside the van while changing from boots to slippers.

Outwell Water & Dirt Resistant Doormat - CampervanBits

This doormat from Outwell is is both water and dirt resistant making it perfect for placing outside your campervan before entering your tent or awning.

vwcaliforniaclub.com

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B01K7L7KVS/?tag=unique09f-21

A long handled ice scraper is useful and get one with a brush on the end for clearing snow from the roof mechanism or solar panel.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B082B2PWLT/?tag=unique09f-21

Enjoy your winter adventures.

 

[GrannyJen]

Apart from the van, for personal use everything Merino or silk....

Base layers, first layers and mid layers .... me personally it's all merino, then down jacket over the top...

Merino hat, or skull cap for beneath a helmet,

Slik scarf, silk lined gloves, double layer merino socks.

I do not like synthetic fabrics next to the skin, nothing breathes quite like natural fibres, not even coolmax, and nothing self-regulates quite like merino. My only requirement is animal welfare, non-mulesing wool. I find the van can be draughty places with lots of temperature gradients from downstairs snug under bed, a great arctic chill when the bed is lifted and then the trek outside if using campsite facilities ....

 

[Hotel California]

Are you planning to stay at a campsite or free aires / park-up for the night.
I 've not been camping in the snow , but been to a campsite in Austria that does stay open all year round . We where there in the summer but they had great facilitys like 16a hook-up , a dry room , kitchen , ski storage, ect...
If on a campsite you wil have acces to water and toilets and you can use all kinds of electric divices like heaters , waterboiler while on 220v hook-up
Staying in a parkinglot while going up the mountain during the day is diffrent story , there are threads on here of people doing so , very brave imo.

 

[ddgp]

Depending on expected temperatures, I would recommend a good water container with a tap. I have found, if I’m living in the van with the heater on permanently or while driving, the water system can be used down to about -6 Celsius. If you’re expecting lower temperatures, or not willing to keep a heater on all the time, you will want to drain the fresh water system and rely on containers of water kept inside the main body of the van.

depending on what you’re doing, a hanging rail and hangars combined with a 12v dehumidifier is useful for drying winter clothing.

A hot water bottle is handy for warming the bedding in the pop top.

Winter tyres and snow chains.

External windscreen cover and an internal or external pop top cover help.

If you’ll be cooking inside more than normal, consider lids or ridgemonkey to reduce cooking splatters and smells.

A rug for the main living area can make it more pleasant on the feet. Also having outside boots and inside slippers help to keep the outside outside.

A folding stool and small door mat is handy for sitting on outside the van while changing from boots to slippers.

A long handled ice scraper is useful and get one with a brush on the end for clearing snow from the roof mechanism or solar panel.

Enjoy your winter adventures.

great anwer but it misses the links to the items!

 

[SallyW]

Warm slipper boots which cover your ankles such as Uggs. I find they make a huge difference. I think you lose a lot of heat through the floor.

As GrannyJen, everything merino wool (try Icebreaker). You can wear their base layers day and night.

 

[GrannyJen]

Warm slipper boots which cover your ankles such as Uggs. I find they make a huge difference. I think you lose a lot of heat through the floor.

As GrannyJen, everything merino wool (try Icebreaker). You can wear their base layers day and night.

Amen... my go-to "nightie" at present in a rather baggy, very old merino jumper that is a joy to wear in bed.

Also a plus 1 to icebreaker but a really great company for merino base layers is a company that started life making woolly grandad pants ....

 

[ddgp]

thanks for your responses... I'm all Icebreaker but I would rather get the LINKs of products for your Valid. thanks

 

[WelshGas]

thanks for your responses... I'm all Icebreaker but I would rather get the LINKs of products for your Valid. thanks

All the links in @California4x4 post, above, work for me.

 

[California4x4]

All the links in @California4x4 post, above, work for me.

I originally missed the request for links from @ddgp so added a few after their comment.

 

[ddgp]

it's funny to read that no1 has recommended the heater snorkel for the top bed

 

[BeagleMum]

After spending couple of nights in our Ocean in mountains few weeks ago I am definitely ordering pop top screen from rainbowthermalscreens.
I researched a bit which pop top cover to order and came to conclusion that these guys although pricey but are of good quality and more importantly easy to install.
If anyone could recommend an alternative would love to hear from you.

We’ve got Rainbow gear, great products.

 

[Highlands]

I’ve got the front rainbow thermal screen. Highly recommend

Quic

We’ve got Rainbow gear, great products.

We are thinking about Rainbow Screens for our pop top cover. Do they still insist on measurements when ordering for the Cali? I would have thought they would know the pop top size by now.

 

[kp64zl]

Quic

We are thinking about Rainbow Screens for our pop top cover. Do they still insist on measurements when ordering for the Cali? I would have thought they would know the pop top size by now.

I agree

asking me to measure my standard pop top is a deal breaker for me

 

[SimonB]

After spending couple of nights in our Ocean in mountains few weeks ago I am definitely ordering pop top screen from rainbowthermalscreens.
I researched a bit which pop top cover to order and came to conclusion that these guys although pricey but are of good quality and more importantly easy to install.
If anyone could recommend an alternative would love to hear from you.

I have been very satisfied with my Cali-Wrap that I bought about 1½ years ago from the Club Shop.
I've used it a lot in Snowdonia and both my wife and I are very pleased with it.
We went for the version that has the window at the front which doesn't open and then a smaller opening window each side for ventilation. These line up with the side windows in the Bellows and are opened from the outside, they are held in place with strong Velcro when closed. Quite a large range of colours when we bought ours. Very easy to put on, even on your own. https://vwcaliforniaclub.com/shop/p...ornia-roof-insulation-covers/roof-cali-topper

 

[California4x4]

I have been very satisfied with my Cali-Wrap that I bought about 1½ years ago from the Club Shop.
I've used it a lot in Snowdonia and both my wife and I are very pleased with it.
We went for the version that has the window at the front which doesn't open and then a smaller opening window each side for ventilation. These line up with the side windows in the Bellows and are opened from the outside, they are held in place with strong Velcro when closed. Quite a large range of colours when we bought ours. Very easy to put on, even on your own. https://vwcaliforniaclub.com/shop/p...ornia-roof-insulation-covers/roof-cali-topper
View attachment 69674

I have this one: https://vwcaliforniaclub.com/shop/product/roofless-cali-topper-vw-california
I went for the roofless version as I have solar on the roof and often carry a roof box. It also has the benefit of covering the roof mechanism and stopping snow and other debris like leaves and branches from getting into the roof mechanism.
In calm and cold conditions it works well - it keeps things less cold and keeps the snow out of the roof. In windy conditions, it is not so good. It rattles a lot and I’m convinced renders the thermal properties fairly useless as the gaps allow cold air to continually replace any warm air between the canvas and the cover. On one occasion, when it got very windy, I opened the inner zip inside the pop top and the wind and wispy snow was coming straight in. In its defence, the gusts were strong enough to shake the va, so I got up, stripped it off and lowered the roof.

It can be put up on your own, but it feels like a bit of a faff.

If it’s too windy to put up on your own, it’s probably not going to be a restful sleep up there anyway.

I like the fact that it keeps the majority of snow out of the roof mechanism.

It folds small enough to hide away in one of the chairs at the back.

If I was getting another one, I would be tempted to get a simple one that wraps close to the tent, inside the roof mechanism, that can be quickly deployed and packed away. If the internal thermal lining is a good fit, I’d be tempted with that also.

Their windscreen external cover is excellent though.

In summary, it gets a lukewarm recommendation, others might not be any better.

There are lots of threads on internal and external insulation options on this forum but they frequently seem to be people justifying what they chose to spend their money on rather than balanced reviews of products.

 

[alan middleton]

What are the must have accessories fro your winter in snow camping with your Cali?

Please share links of the products

Must have accessory for cold nights is Mrs M. Sorry no link available.

 

[The Pox]

Before I invested in Cali I used to camp all year round in various tents depending on the season. The colder the season the smaller the tent. I found the best two things you can buy to be comfortable at night in winter are first of all a good quality five season sleeping bag and if that is not enough, remember it is what you sleep ON keeps you warm. So I would recommend a thermal mattress the type used for mountaineering. I would buy all of these before investing in thermal wraps and screens. Think about this: mountaineers don't try to wrap up their tents with thermal insulation. They use the two things mentioned above.

 

[sapto]

What are the must have accessories fro your winter in snow camping with your Cali?

Please share links of the products

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